Ephemeral Beauty
by BookieNovels
Summary: Hay Lin begins having strange dreams about a girl in red singing a sad tune. But when secrets begin to unfold, she finds herself in crossfire between Phobos and the Oracle, which resulted from a shared past. As tension begins to rise, many questions are asked. What is the dark secret between Phobos and the Oracle? Are Hay lin's dreams just a nightmare or the key to all the answers?
1. Chapter 1

**Hay Lin begins having strange dreams about a girl in red, singing a sad tune. But when secrets begin to unfold, she finds herself in crossfire between Phobos and the Oracle, which resulted from a shared past. As tension begins to rise, many questions are asked. What is the dark secret between Phobos and the Oracle? And are Hay Lin's dreams a mere nightmare, or the key to everyone's questions? One thing is for sure: A hidden history has everyone linked together in ways no one could possibly imagine. **

"Hmm hmm hmm hmm…" the voice sang.

Hay Lin spun around, her body trembling. Rose petals fluttered in the air as the same, haunting tune filled the atmosphere.

"Hmm hmm hmm hmm hmm…" the voice continued on. Hay Lin knew instantly that the voice belonged to a female. And she couldn't help but feel drawn to that euphonic melody. The girl sounded so youthful, so innocent… yet there was something about her voice and the fact she was nowhere in sight that seemed to pierce through her skin, sending chills all across her thin, fragile looking body.

"Hello?" Hay Lin called out. "Anybody there?" Her voice echoed across the vast meadow, which was filled with blooming blood red roses and no visible patch of green grass. It was a sea of red.

The voice was getting closer, and Hay Lin felt the sense of anticipation burning in her veins. She wished she could have a better understanding of why she was reacting the way she was in such a serene environment. For example, why was it that she felt as if she was prey being stalked by a predator whenever she heard that tune? How come she felt a rising level of danger even if the tune sounded like a soft, harmonic… yet sad lullaby?

_ Sad… _Hay Lin thought to herself. Was the girl sad?

"My name is Hay Lin!" Hay Lin introduced. Except she felt she was talking to herself, which made her feel like an idiot.

And then she froze. The girl had stopped singing, and there was a moment of dead silence. Nothing but the blowing wind filled the air guardian's ears as her body tensed. Her eyes widened.

In the distance, she saw a girl a few years older than her, wearing a long, red gown. It was hard to make up the rest of her figure, as her body stood in the horizon, rays of sunlight leaking out from behind her. Hay Lin squinted her eyes, trying to block the sun from blinding her. She blinked once… and her heart jumped.

The girl… who was hundreds of feet away from her, was suddenly standing right in front of her. Long pools of luscious black hair swayed in synch with the chilling breeze. Her head was tilted forward, causing her side bangs to drape over her face, leaving only the tip of her nose and her red colored lips visible.

Hay Lin gasped. A voice in her head told her to run. Run and never look back. But instead, her legs stood there. How could she run now? How could she run when the fear that was building up inside her made her muscles turn into mush? "W-Wh-Who are you?"

The girl stood there for a moment, her head never lifting up to stare at Hay Lin eye to eye. A glint on a piece of metal caught the air guardian off guard, and she couldn't help but notice the shackles that clung onto both the girl's wrist. Suddenly, her mouth twisted into a devilish smile, bearing her snow white teeth. The girl lunged forward, wrapping her fingers around Hay Lin's neck.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" the girl laughed manically, as she squeezed her hands tighter around Hay Lin's pulse.

Hay Lin let out a blood curdling scream, as she began to struggle against the surprising strength of the thin bodied girl. "Ahhh! Let me go! Let me go! LET ME GO!"

Her head was beginning to spin, as she choked while trying to grasp for air. Her vision was leaving her and her muscles stopped responding.

"HAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHA!" the girl continued to laugh, as everything went blank.

* * *

"Ah!" Hay Lin cried out as she sat up from her bed abruptly. Beads of sweat formed on her forehead, as her whole body began to shake. She buried her face in her knees while hugging them against her chest, trying to regain some of the sanity she lost in that dream. Then she straightened herself, rubbing her fingers against her neck. _I had that dream again, _Hay Lin thought to herself. _But what does it all mean? I keep having the same dream, and in each dream, the girl keeps getting closer and closer and closer and… _

Her fingers shook against her neck before dropping her arm to her side, lifting the sheets to her chest. Her mind wandered off to her grandmother, Yan Lin, who told her that the air guardian had the ability to have premonitions on a future event. This had happened to her before, such as when she dreamed of thorny vines that thrashed around a gothic styled throne. It related to how her friend, Elyon, almost had her powers taken away by her brother, the evil tyrant, Prince Phobos, who trapped her onto the same throne using the same uncanny vines before attempting to steal her powers. Luckily, she and her friends, The Guardians of the Veil, managed to save her and help imprison the prince.

But that was months ago. She never had a premonition after the event, up until a few weeks ago, when Will decided that it was time to form an unlikely alliance with Phobos to stop their new villain: Nerissa. She was the power mad sorceress who had kidnapped Elyon and trapped her inside the Heart of Meridian.

_ What does it all mean? _Hay Lin thought to herself. _Why am I even having another premonition? Is it even a premonition? But why do I keep having the same dream? _

Her dreams were almost always the same. A sea of red flowers; a girl singing a tune. But each time, she felt she was getting closer to the conclusion of the dream, that the timeline of the dream continued every time she fell asleep. For instance, it was the first time she saw an actual girl in her dream. Usually, all she would see were rose petals, and all she would hear was the lullaby. Now, the girl had attempted to choke her? But why?

She didn't want to sleep anymore. She didn't want to know.

_ Knock Knock _

"Who's there?" Hay Lin called out, trying to hide whatever anxiety had imprinted on her voice.

"It's me", Will's voice sounded from the other side of the door, saying it as if it were bad news.

"Oh, come in".

Will opened the door gently, as if it were to fall if she put any force in, and stepped into Hay Lin's room. "You're not dressed yet?"

Hay Lin looked down at her attire. She was only wearing a spaghetti strapped top and white shorts. "Seems like I'm not."

Will smacked her palm against her forehead. "Hay Lin. You were supposed to be ready at ten-thirty." It was evident that there was frustration in her voice. Today was an important day after all: They were going to seal the deal with Phobos and free him from prison.

Hay Lin shook her head. "Will", she began. "I'm sorry. It's just…"

Will's eyes widened. "Did you have another nightmare?" The frustration was replaced with the genuine concern of a friend.

_ Nightmare… _Hay Lin thought to herself. She should've used that word instead of dream. _Nightmare _was more appropriate. "That can wait until later", she reassured her. Will was the leader of the guardians of the veil, and she was already going through enough stress over the fact that she herself would have to free Phobos. "I'm already late. I'll change, and I'll ask Grandma to make us breakfast."

"Did I hear breakfast?" Irma asked, as she poked her head through the doorway. It had appeared she came by the doorway just in time to hear those words. "Hay Lin… you're the savior to my starving stomach."

* * *

_ Maybe eating too many eggs for breakfast wasn't such a good idea, _Hay Lin thought to herself miserably, as she hugged her boiling stomach. A full stomach and a nervous stomach wasn't a good combo, especially since she knew she was going to see Prince Phobos's face very soon. The Guardians had already crossed the veil to Meridian, where Caleb and Will were speaking to the prince. The rest of the guardians had scattered across the castle, having whatever adventures they could find until they went back to Earth. Hay Lin wondered how she ended up at the large Meridian library with Taranee, sitting at one of the reading tables. Then she remembered. Unlike Cornelia, and Irma, who were both very social and daring, she didn't feel like getting in any trouble. And unlike Taranee, she didn't feel like poking her nose in every book.

But sitting still wasn't such a good idea either. With nothing else on her mind, the thoughts of last night's nightmare returned to her. Could it possibly be just a coincidental series of nightmares? Or could it actually be a premonition? What if the premonition meant something? What if it was warning her of impending doom, and she had to act upon it or warn her friends or…

_Get a hold of yourself, Hay Lin! _She yelled through her thoughts. She was panicking again through her heavy breathing and terrible shakes.

How could she ever sleep peacefully again?

* * *

"Will? Caleb? Is that you?"

Will and Caleb greeted Vathek with friendly smiles, as the blue Meridianite ran up to the two and locked them into a bear hug.

"Good to see you again", Caleb said as nobly as possible, although he still had that boyish tone to his voice.

"So", Vathek began. "What brings you two here to Meridian?"

Will tried to force another smile across her face, although guilt and regret was written all over it. "You're not going to like our answer…."

Vathek stood there for a moment, his eyes wide in shock. He looked like a glass figure, moving hardly a muscle as his ears took in the information in disbelief. Finally, he squeezed his eyes shut. "WHAT?!" he yelled out, as he finally opened them. With further insisting, Vathek's voice softened as he gave into the argument. "This is a bad idea…" he warned.

"We don't have a choice", Caleb said. "Besides Elyon, there's only one other heir to the Meridian throne. One other person who can take the seal from Nerissa".

"Prince Phobos", Will snarled, as they reached the prison. Her eyes widened slightly, as she stared at the figure with the pure white cloak, who was standing in front of Phobos's prison. It was highly probable that the two were talking before they entered the room. _Who was this person? _

"You reek of desperation, guardian", Phobos teased, turning his attention away from the figure and towards the guardian leader.

Will tried her best to ignore her newfound curiosity over the white cloaked person. "You just reek." It was time for business. "Here's the deal. We set you free on a FULL pardon on two conditions: One, you help us take the seal from Nerissa, and two, you swear to return its power to Elyon and Kadma, not use it for yourself."

"There's no love lost between the sorceress and myself, and, I do seem to have a bit of free time lately…" Phobos began sarcastically. His mocking smile made Will want to punch him in the face.

"No, my lord!" Raythor protested from the other cell. "That power is rightfully yours. You should not bargain for it, nor bind yourself alone to these traitors…it is beneath you."

Phobos smiled approvingly. "Your concern is touching, Raythor…" He suddenly frowned. "But this cell is also beneath me…and above me, and around me."

"Then swear on the Heart of Kandrakar, and I'll get you out of it", Will gnarled through her teeth, as if her feelings didn't agree with her words.

Phobos rolled his eyes, raising his right hand. "I swear on the heart of Kandrakar not to use Nerissa's seal for myself. Satisfied?"

Will just made a _hmph _before raising her palm in the air. A flash of blue lightning shot out from her hand and towards Phobos's cell. The magic bars that held Phobos in his prison vanished away, getting a full view of Phobos and his satisfied smirk.

"Jezebel", a stern, female voice sounded.

Will and Caleb turned in shock to find Luba, one of the council members of Kandrakar, walking towards them, only not towards them. The white figure turned around, and her face was visibly shown.

Caleb, Will, and even Vathek suddenly had their eyes wide open, at the white figure, whose name was 'Jezebel'.

She was beautiful, but so beautiful, she didn't appear human. She had pale skin, with long, straight white hair that fell to her ankles, which was styled in layers where some of her luscious hair majestically stuck outwards, and thick side bangs that covered half her forehead. Her eyes were an alluring violet color, and she smiled brightly at the guardian and her companions.

"Thank you", she told Will, as she began walking towards Luba. Luba looked rather stern and scornful as she turned to Jezebel. "No one said you could leave. They sent me here to fetch you."

_Who was' they'? And did that girl say thank you to me just now? _Will thought to herself. "Luba, what are you doing here?"

"I was just bringing this girl back to Kandrakar", Luba informed her. "She's related to one of the Council members, and she tends to venture off often."

"Oh…" Will began, but her voice began to trail off. "Okay." She shouldn't bother asking anything. After all, it was Luba. Luba knew what she was doing.

"Jezebel, let's go!" Luba snapped again, this time, eying Phobos. Phobos understood what she was thinking, and just smiled rather charmingly.

"Don't worry…" he said silkily. "I won't hurt her."

Luba frowned. "You couldn't even if you tried. Because I'd be there to stop you." Will had never seen her so frightening… so threatening. But she couldn't help but notice that Luba herself was uneasy, as Jezebel began walking towards her.

"You're so scary…" Phobos taunted. "But you don't have to act that way. I already told you. I _won't _hurt her." This time, his voice sounded determined, almost insistent.

Jezebel smiled at Phobos. "Phobos…." Her voice was so sweet and pure, equal to that of an innocent child's.

Phobos was keeping his eyes focused on Luba, Caleb, Will, and Vathek, as if he were forcing himself not to look at the girl, pretending like she wasn't there. Jezebel's eyes were glistening, as if she were filled with hope, and she took a step towards Phobos, reaching her hand out towards him.

"Jezebel, NO!" Luba yelled out, racing to the girl. She grabbed her wrist in time, and began dragging her out the room. "We're leaving."

As Luba dragged the white haired girl out the room, she turned to Phobos one more time. "I want it to be… just like the old times." She gave him a sad smile, before being pulled away from the doorway completely.

"Who is she?" Caleb questioned Phobos. "Do you know her?"

Phobos just shrugged. "Used to. She's just an old friend."

Vathek scoffed. "Hmph. Like you know anything about friendship."

Phobos began rubbing his chin. "You're right. That's why I said _old _friend."

**A/N: This story marks my return, readers! If people still remember me, I was the one who always wrote Phobos romances because… up till this point, I'm still obsessed with the guy . .. But I've decided to change my plots a bit, in a way where more lovable characters will be involved. There will be romance, but that won't be the center theme anymore…. I promise this one will be more exciting : ) **


	2. Chapter 2

**Okay, I'm sorry! So SO SO SO SORRY. School got so out of hand with finals and I'm taking honors classes this year. Not to mention I have clubs and a part time job so I had NO TIME AT ALL to do this, but finally, I have a break since its summer. WARNING: Things take a darker turn from here, so sorry if you guys get a little creeped out. **

"Aren't I down with my bad self?" Phobos joked darkly, as he glamoured himself into a more 'human' looking being. He was wearing nothing but a black, long sleeved v neck, and faded blue jeans. His hair had shortened to his waist, but the same princely attitude still reeked from the freed prisoner.

"Chillin' with the villain", Irma began, her arms crossed as she sat on one of the old beds in Hay Lin's basement. "Anyone else find this weird?"

"Blunk find it weird!" Blunk pointed out. "Blunk find it very weird."

Phobos rolled his eyes. He couldn't believe he was actually complying with the people he hated the most. Especially a filthy passling like Blunk. What was worse was that they were actually going to make him blend in with useless human beings, enrolling him as some foreign exchange student at Sheffield Institute.

"How did you people ever defeat me?" Phobos wondered. After all, they were incompetent idiots who always hung out in a dirty old basement when they weren't doing their job as guardians.

The rest of the guardians just gave him a dirty look.

* * *

Hay Lin tried her best to remind herself why she was stuck by herself with Phobos in her so called 'dirty old basement'. As she recalled, Cornelia and Caleb had a movie date, Will was practicing for her swim competition, Taranee was tutoring Irma at the library, and Matt was trying to get his parents to allow Phobos to stay at his place. And she didn't even want to think about where Blunk possibly could be…

"This is foolish…" Phobos grumbled, as he laid out his body over the rotten twin bed that rested in the corner of the room.

Hay Lin clenched her fingers around her paint brush. She was trying to get her artwork done peacefully, but the prince was acting like…. A prince. "You're not a prince anymore. So stop grumbling back there, and be quiet!"

Phobos glared at the guardian, but surprisingly remained silent as Hay Lin tried to focus on her painting.

_Almost done, _Hay Lin thought to herself, stroking red paint against the canvas. She couldn't help but shiver. The rest of the guardians had requested her to draw whatever she saw in her dreams, and maybe they could be able to decipher what it meant. Hay Lin absolutely had no intention of bringing her dream to the real world. But it was right in front of her now. She had created it.

"Done", she accidentally said out loud, as she turned to the painting. The black haired girl with the devilish grin was smiling back at her, her black side bangs covering her nose and eyes just like in her dream. The sky was a baby blue color, with rose petals raining down on a sea of red roses that covered up the entire meadow.

"Congratulations", Phobos said sarcastically. "Would you like a reward?"

Hay Lin growled. Usually she was very patient with people, but this man here was an exception. "Will you be quiet?! I'm minding my own business here, and you keep butting into it! Are you really that nosy?"

Phobos sat up, burning his eyes into Hay Lin's. It clearly showed that he was just as annoyed as she was. "Why you little-"

He stopped suddenly, his attention drawn to Hay Lin's painting. "What is that?"

Hay Lin gulped as he began approaching her. After they'd been together for two hours, he'd never been less than 15 feet away from her. Now he was right by her side, his chin a few inches above her shoulder, as he took in the piece of artwork in front of him.

"What?" Hay Lin asked again, wondering what he was so interested in.

Phobos just smirked. "Nothing," he said, straightening himself. "I just really like roses."

Hay Lin just sat on her stool for a moment, eyes wide. "I'd never imagine the prince of evil putting input into my drawing." She frowned, crossing her arms.

Phobos chuckled. "Well, you said it yourself, I'm not a prince anymore." Suddenly, he began walking out the door, grabbing a brown jacket on his way out. Hay Lin's eyes widened in alert, as she tried to tug him back into the room. "Where do you think you're going?!"

"Out", he said. "This basement is boring, you're boring, this overall time I've been wasting here is boring. I'm bored."

Hay Lin glared at him, grabbing at his wrists as she tried to pull him from the stairs. "You don't get to make that decision! I'll get Will, and you'll really be in trouble!"

Phobos raised his eyebrow. "So you rely on your guardian leader that much? You really are weak on your own…"

Hay Lin loosened her grip on Phobos, her eyes widening in shock. _Was what he said true? _Was she really that weak, that she constantly relied on her friends? No…. it wasn't. She was able to hold her own ground before… but at this very moment, being alone with the prince of evil… she felt like she was about to break. She couldn't handle this situation at all! The vivid images of her past experiences in Meridian, seeing his works of evil… that was all she saw.

"What are you talking about?" Hay Lin snapped, trying to hide the uncertainty in her voice. "I can handle you on my own!"

Phobos's eyes sparkled, as if he were victorious. "Really? Is that a challenge?" he mocked her, the trademark grin spreading across his face.

Hay Lin narrowed her eyes at him, but she was getting uneasy. _What was the sudden change in his attitude? _ "What… what…"

Phobos sighed wearily, rolling his eyes. "Is that all you can say? Questioning everything you don't understand right away without thinking about it first?" He found her pink hoodie hanging on the coat rack and threw it at her. "If you can handle me on your own, then prove it. Try to handle me when I'm not confined in this filthy basement of yours." His smile got wider, his grayish blue eyes reeling in Hay Lin's dark ones. "Try to control me when I have a bit more freedom in my hands." With that, he started up the stairs.

Hay Lin was dazed for a moment, finding herself blanking out after Phobos gave her such an expression. Then she growled. "Hey, wait up!" She found herself chasing after him, as the two of them left the house onto the streets of Heatherfield.

* * *

Jezebel sat on the edge of the mystical white fountain, which were plentiful in the Fortress of Kandrakar. She was wiggling her toes just above the cloudy grounds of that world as Luba approached her.

"You're angry", Luba stated flatly. Jezebel knew that Luba was trying to help sort out her feelings-she always did have a hard time- but Luba herself was more reserved as well.

"No, of course not", Jezebel said sweetly, trying her best to smile. "Brother knows what he's doing… He really doesn't want me anywhere around Phobos."

Luba nodded. "Yes. So you won't make the same mistake of going to Heatherfield just to see him, right?"

When Jezebel refused to give an answer, Luba sighed wearily. She knew Jezebel was a kind hearted, soft spoken girl, but she did tend to be stubborn. "Jezebel…"

"I…I don't want to make promises I can't keep, Luba", Jezebel whispered quietly. "I truly am sorry." She wrung her fingers together, looking down to her lap apologetically.

Luba just stared at Jezebel for a while, not knowing what to say. _This girl… _she thought. _She's so honest… so innocent…. So pure… and yet, why does she make my skin crawl? Why am I afraid of upsetting her too much? _

"Jezebel…" another voice joined in.

Luba turned around to the bald headed, yet elegantly handsome young man that walked towards them. She bowed her head down in respect to the Oracle.

Jezebel looked up at him, her eyes gleaming perfectly with her gentle smile. "Hello… brother."

* * *

_Will's going to kill me! They're all going to kill me… No, no, no, no, no imagine the talk I'll be getting from Caleb…._

Her thoughts were interrupted by Phobos's weary sigh. "There you go again…"

Hay Lin's heart began to beat faster in anxiety as she jolted back in her seat. "What do you mean?"

"You look like you're about to die", Phobos informed her, smiling ear to ear.

The air guardian frowned. "Well, seeing that I'm in an ice cream store with the Prince of Evil, then you shouldn't blame me for having that feeling."

Phobos sighed again. "You're right."

Hay Lin's eyes widened in shock. "You're right? Meaning you're right, you're going to kill me, or you're right that…"

"Will you please calm down now?" Phobos asked her. "You're getting annoying."

Hay Lin slumped in her seat as Phobos sat across from her. "Sorry", she mumbled. She watched as Phobos began poking at his bowl of ice cream with his spoon. After taking a bite, he suddenly pushed the bowl away, showing a look of disgust. "Is this what you humans call 'food'?"

"Are you serious?!" Hay Lin exclaimed. "Ice cream is one of the best desserts in the world! How can you NOT like it?"

"Very annoying…" Phobos mumbled again under his breath. "Let's go somewhere else." He stood up, heading for the door.

"Wait!" Hay Lin called out, racing after him. "Stop doing that! I'm in charge here."

Phobos crossed his arms. "Apparently, you're not very good at it." He continued walking away and she continued to chase after him.

"Fine!" She said, giving in. "There's this bakery just down the street—Hey, are you listening to me?!" _I'm just about getting fed up with this! _ Hay Lin thought to herself. "Hey, I'm just about sick of your attitude!" She grabbed his arm abruptly, and Phobos turned to her. His electric blue eyes were filled with anger, mixed with shock. "How dare you touch me so casually!"

Hay Lin wanted to yell back, but her head suddenly began to spin. "I….I…." A bright flash of light blinded her eyes, and she felt herself lose her balance.

"What in the world?" Phobos asked aloud, clearly peeved, as an unconscious Hay Lin collapsed in his arms, him unintentionally catching her. Every 'idiot' in the ice cream store rushed forward to help them, but honestly, he couldn't care less.

* * *

Hay Lin rubbed her eyes as she woke up. The first thing she did was wince as a burst of sunlight blinded her eyes. She unintentionally squeezed her fingers together, feeling the texture of soft grass beneath her. Her eyes widened, as she sat up abruptly. _Where am i?_

She stood up, taking in her surroundings. She was in a field filled with roses, and petals were floating lightly in the air. A wave of panic rushed through her, realizing that the setting was similar to the one in her previous premonition.

"Phobos?!" Hay Lin cried out. "Phobos, where are you?!" She didn't know why she was calling his name, but strangely, she'd rather be in his company rather than the murderous girl who continuously invaded her dreams.

"Right over here."

Hay Lin's eyes widened, turning around slowly. Behind her, a man with long platinum blonde hair stared back at her. "Phobos?" It was hard for her to believe it was him. Instead of the loose strands of hair that Phobos always had, his long locks were styled in a single loose braid that hung down his back. His traditional Meridian robes were replaced with Victorian styled attire, the tail of his long, white and gold jacket swaying behind him. Beneath his jacket, he wore skin tight pants, high boots, and a ruffled blouse. His evil look was replaced with a gentle, affectionate smile, and his eyes glistened like diamonds.

"Yup", he said. He smiled brightly. "You called for me?"

"Uh….ummm…"Hay Lin began. "What's going on?"

Before Phobos could respond, they both turned around to see the girl in the red dress, plucking the roses from the field.

_It's her! _Hay Lin yelled in her head. She felt her insides scream in terror even if she kept her mouth shut as the girl began to hum again.

"Hmm hmm hmm hmm…" the girl sang. Her face still wasn't visible, but luckily, she didn't seem to notice the presence of Phobos and Hay Lin.

"Come on", Phobos said gently. "It's best we leave her alone." He placed his hands on her shoulders, pushing her steadily away. They made their way into a forest, and continued walking in silence until Hay Lin was sure that the girl couldn't trace them there. Then she turned to face Phobos.

"Hey", she began, raising her eyebrow. "What's with the weird outfit? You look like you came out of some kid's fairytale book." She began laughing, but stopped, expecting another one of Phobos's rude remarks. Instead, her mouth opened in shock as Phobos turned his back on her, hugging his knees as he faced the nearest tree. _He looks like he's…. sulking? _Hay Lin thought. _This is a premonition…. Definitely another premonition. Phobos could never act this kind hearted…. Or foolish. _"Hey…" she began, tapping his shoulder. "Are you okay?"

Phobos turned around. His face was red with embarrassment, and he was pouting. "I… I really look like that?" He buried his face in his knees. "HIMERISH SAYS THE EXACT SAME THINGS TO ME!"

"Himerish?" Hay Lin asked. "Who's…. Hey are you crying?!"

"Of course not!" Phobos began, wiping the wetness from his eyes.

Hay Lin frowned. _Yup, he was definitely crying. _

His eyes sparkled again, this time with determination as he stood up, pointing a finger in the air. "I'm tired of Himerish always calling me Mr. Goody Two Shoes…." He rubbed his fingers against his chin. "I know! I should try being the bad guy for once!" He beamed happily, clapping his hands together. "What do you think? I make a good bad guy, right?"

Hay Lin frowned. "Are you serious?" She slammed her hand against her forehead. "I don't know what's going on…."

"It's a good change of character!" Phobos protested.

Hay Lin was about to say something, when they were interrupted by another male voice.

"PHOBOS!" the voice yelled, and Hay Lin shook from the ferocity of the man's voice. "I HAVE YOU NOW!"

Phobos just laughed as a handsome young man with short, white hair emerged from the trees, swinging a long, thin sword at him. Phobos dodged the blow with ease just by merely stepping to the side. The man lost balance, collapsing on the ground.

"Man…." He groaned. "I almost had you that time!"

Phobos chuckled. "The whole point of a surprise attack is to be silent, my friend." He helped the man up. When the white haired stranger turned to Hay Lin, she gasped. _He looks just like a younger version of the Oracle! _

"Well, I'll definitely get you next time," he said.

Phobos turned to Hay Lin. "By the way, this is my friend, Himerish. Actually…" He suddenly wrapped his arms around Himerish's shoulders. "He's my VERY BEST FRIEND! Isn't that right?"

"Get off of me!" Himerish yelled, pushing Phobos away. "And stop saying that! You turn every idea into sunshine and rainbows!"

Hay Lin couldn't process what was going on anymore. _What kind of premonitions am I having? I don't even know what's real and what isn't anymore. _

"By the way?" Phobos asked kindly. "What's your name?"

"My name?" Hay Lin asked, dumbfoundedly, pointing at herself.

"Who cares?" Himerish scoffed. "She doesn't even look that interesting, so who cares who she is?"

"Stop being such a dimwit", Phobos joked, nudging Himerish's side playfully. "So what is your name?"

Hay Lin gulped. "My name is…."

Suddenly, Hay Lin's surroundings began to fade, and she felt herself falling again.

_No! _She cried out in her mind. _This can't be the end of the dream. There's so much I don't understand! I can't! I can't wake up just yet!_

* * *

The Oracle tried his best to be gentle with Jezebel. For the past hour, all she had talked about was Phobos, and it always brought up a sick, bittersweet feeling inside him.

"Remember when Phobos used to train you how to fight with a sword?!" Jezebel explained excitedly.

The Oracle smiled at his little sister. "Yes. I remember."

Jezebel laughed, making a cute little twirl as she danced through her memories. "I remember too. You always tried to hit him with your surprise attacks, but they always never worked. Phobos was so amazing!"

The Oracle nodded. "Yes he was…."

Jezebel noticed the sad expression on her older brother's face. "Hey..." she began. "I want everything the way it was before. I want you and Phobos to be best friends again!"

The Oracle stood up, patting Jezebel's head gently. His sister had always been so pure… so hopeful. It was depressing to see her trying to have hope in such a hopeless cause.

"Jezebel…." He began. "The past can never come back. Everything is just too different now." He bowed his head down in sorrow. "I'm so sorry," he whispered.

Jezebel stared at her brother for a moment, tears glistening in her eyes. Then she turned around abruptly. "I'm going to bed now."

"Jezebel, wait!" The Oracle protested. Jezebel forced herself to hold her tears as she turned around, trying to give her brother the most reassuring smile she can muster. "Good night… Himerish".

As she continued walking, her thoughts began to rush through her in angry screams.

_No! The past can come back! It can! Phobos you have to come back! I want you to come back!_

When she was finally alone in her room, she angrily threw one of her figurines on the ground, watching it shatter into a million pieces. "PHOBOS, WHY DO YOU HAVE TO MAKE THINGS SO COMPLICATED?!"

Tears fell down her cheeks as she fell to her knees, burying her face in her hands. "Why…" she sobbed. "You're so mean, Phobos. You had me and Himerish, so why did you have to go off and become so mean?" Her eyes wandered to the shattered pieces of porcelain, and an idea came to her mind.

"I'm going to bring you back", Jezebel said, gritting her teeth. She took a sharp piece of porcelain, running it through her palm, as blood began to draw from her skin. "You can never hurt me, Phobos. And this time, I won't let you turn away from me." A soft smile crept on her lips.

**A/N: Was anyone else a little weirded out by a completely OOC Phobos? An OOC Himerish? And a rather unstable Jezebel? Review please, and tell me what you think! Reviews really helped motivate me, and the review s you sent in really made me fueled to write this. Thank you guys so much for your input, and I'll try to update again soon! **


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